Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo sat behind a scattering of recorders and microphones in the press room at Chase Field on Tuesday, knowing exactly what was on everyone’s mind.
“Fire away. Yes I do,” he stated without a question being asked. “Bum, Merrill, Davies, Caleb, Gallen. You better send that out. Every team we are playing is ready to go.”
While the usual suspects of Madison Bumgarner, Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen are no surprise, the addition of Caleb Smith to the starting rotations raised some eyebrows. However, Lovullo confirmed that Smith earned the spot through his work and performance in camp.
“First of all, he earned it,” Lovullo said. “We talked about it being the challenge of spring training, and it was going to be competitive. And we sent out some guys that did some really good things for us last year. It wasn’t that he defaulted in this position. He went out and did everything he was supposed to do, and we feel like he’s got the track record. He’s done it before, and it’s just a matter of going out and being consistent and getting that opportunity.
“We wanted to give him this opportunity to show us what he’s been doing in spring training could possibly continue and help us win baseball games.”
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo confirms his starting rotation and provides his reason why they chose to go with Caleb Smith. pic.twitter.com/NqwyBAOKBS
Caleb Smith has been dialed in this spring in both camp and in games. He comes out of spring training with a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings of work. His last start was five scoreless innings against the Mariners where he only allowed one hit. Lovullo emphasized that it was his ability to give and receive feedback to new pitching coach Brent Strom that helped him earn this opportunity.
“I went out to Peoria yesterday to watch his final outing of the spring, and he was able to make adjustments,” he said. “He was giving great feedback, getting great instruction. Giving great feedback to Stromy. Getting good instruction from Stromy, accepting it, and going out and executing it. Thought that was a pretty key point for me yesterday.”
Smith started 13 games for the D-backs in 2021. He ended the season with a 4-9 record and a 4.83 ERA in 113.2 innings pitched. He struggled at times as a starter for Lovullo but shined brightly as a reliever. Despite his success out of the bullpen, Smith’s commitment to being a starter has translated to an opportunity earned this spring.
